fall for (someone or something)
1. To become completely infatuated with someone; to fall in love with someone. The moment I met my wife, I fell for her completely. Well, now I see how Ed fell for his new girlfriend so quickly—she's gorgeous! It just really hurts when you fall for someone, and they don't feel the same way about you.
2. To be convinced that that something is unquestionably true. I told them that I like this stupid school, and they totally fell for it—I guess I'm a pretty good actress. How could you fall for that ridiculous story about Grace's dog eating her homework? Politicians make us the same old promises every election cycle, and we fall for them, like idiots!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
fall for someone
Fig. to fall in love with someone. I fell for her in a big way. She's gorgeous! Ted fell for Alice and they decided to get married.
fall for something
Fig. to believe something without reservation. Surely, you don't expect me to fall for that! She fell for the excuse I gave her about getting stuck in traffic.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
fall for
1. Become attracted to, as in I was sure he'd fall for her. [Slang; early 1900s]
2. Be deceived or swindled by, as in He fell for the con artist's scheme and lost a great deal of money. [Slang; early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fall for
v.1. To feel love for someone; be in love with someone: I fell for you the first time I saw you in the park. They immediately fell for each other.
2. To be deceived or swindled by something: The gullible dupe fell for the con artist's scheme and lost $200,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fall for something/someone, to
To be taken in or deceived; or to be captivated by or enamored of. Originating in American slang in the late nineteenth century, the expression was adopted on both sides of the Atlantic. The two meanings are differentiated by the context. The first sense is meant in “The mayor fell for it” (R. L. McCardell, Conversations with a Chorus Girl, 1903), and the second in “I fell for her the first time I seen her” (Saturday Evening Post, 1914).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer